On 14 May, the three Prime Ministers of Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali launched a special economic zone in the SKBo triangle, composed of the regions of Sikasso (Mali), Bobo Dioulasso (Burkina Faso) and Korhogo (Côte d’Ivoire). It is the first special economic zone in West Africa that operates across borders. Read on

On 26 April, ECOWAS and the government of Nigeria held a high-level meeting on pastoralism and cross-border transhumance in Abuja. The conference brought together ministers of security and agriculture/animal resources from ECOWAS countries, Cameroon, Chad, Mauritania and the Central African Republic. Their goal was to find lasting solutions to the escalating conflicts between herders and farmers in the ECOWAS zone and in other regions. Read on

As the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) is set to withdraw from that country, the UN transferred its radio station to ECOWAS on 23 March. The radio station will promote regional integration, contribute to the education of the West African people and create awareness of ECOWAS programmes and its Vision 2020. Read on

On 13 March, the ECOWAS Commission signed a memorandum of understanding with the Government of China for a USD 31.6 million grant to build the new ECOWAS Commission Headquarters in Nigeria’s capital city. The agreement was signed by the Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, Zhou Pingjian, and newly appointed ECOWAS Commission President Jean-Claude Brou. Read on

UEMOA Commission President Abdallah Boureima met a delegation from the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat (SWAC/OECD) in Ouagadougou on 12 March. They took stock of their co-operation since 2011, when UEMOA joined the Sahel and West Africa Club as Member, and discussed future work priorities. Read on

1 March was marked by some important leadership changes in West Africa’s regional organisations. The Ivorian Jean-Claude Brou took office as new head of the ECOWAS Commission. CILSS also took an important step forward by appointing Souleymane Ouédraogo from Burkina Faso as the new general director of the CILSS Regional Agrhymet Centre, based in Niamey. The Togolese Kimélabalou Aba became the new general director. Read on

As part of the VAM Gender & Markets Initiative, the WFP West Africa office published a new study on market conditions faced by women farmers and traders in two culturally similar yet administratively different areas: the Kano-Katsina region in northern Nigeria and the Maradi region in southern Niger. Read on

Transhumance is a mobile livestock farming method that is based on regular, seasonal movements. The movements are mostly predictable; each year, herders follow the rhythm of the seasons and pass over the same trails and pasturelands that they already know. On the other hand, nomadism is characterised by the continual and unpredictable movements of all members of a family or a group. Most agro-pastoralists in the Sahel today practice semi-transhumance. Read on

CILSS leaders gathered on 7 February in Niamey for the 18th ordinary session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government. Organised back-to-back with the G5 Sahel summit, six presidents (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal) as well the Prime Minister of Togo participated in the event. Discussions focused on how to advance reforms of the 45-year old institution and how to provide the institution with sustainable financing. Read on

The five presidents from G5 Sahel countries met on 6 February in Niamey, Niger at the 4th ordinary session of the Heads of State Conference. Discussions focused on ensuring sustainable funding for the recently launched G5 Sahel Joint Force. G5 leaders already approved its operational set-up, the creation of a dedicated trust fund, the creation of a regional police academy in Chad and a G5 Sahel Defence College in Mauritania. Read on